Lavva bets big on the pili nut to stand out in the plant-based yogurt category

Formulations have undeniably improved, but some plant-based yogurts still have a “gelatinous” and “weird” quality, observed Ripple Foods founder Neil Renninger last year (“Let’s not mince words… some of these products are terrible…”). So can new market entrant Lavva – which is fueled by the pili nut - offer something that truly delivers on taste and texture?

The plant-based yogurt category is notching up strong double-digit growth* – albeit off a small base, but some consumers that are regularly buying plant-based beverages still appear to be wary of similar products in the yogurt aisle, said Nicki Briggs, chief marketing officer at Lavva (owned by New York-based start-up EVR Foods​​).

“I see so often in the grocery store consumers have a bottle of Silk almondmilk or Califia Farms nut milk in their basket, but they have a dairy yogurt next to it, which tells me they are open to the dairy-free proposition, but the barrier - whether it be taste, texture or nutrition - is still too high in yogurt.”​

‘I was really blown away by the taste’​

Lavva – developed by Liz Fisher (who has a background in sales at brands including KeVita and Pirate’s Booty), attorney Rebecca Cross, and designer Vivian Rosenthal – recently launched in just under 500 stores in the northeast including Whole Foods, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Giant and Stop & Shop – and will be expanding on the west coast in the coming months, said Briggs.

“Retailers are seeing a hunger for plant-based products and Lavva is truly differentiated in terms of taste and texture, it’s not just another almond, soy or cashew yogurt. Consumers are looking for a cleaner label, gut health benefits, and lower sugar, and we can deliver on all three.”​

Lavva is also one of the few brands in the space that genuinely delivers on taste and​ texture, claimed Briggs, a dietitian and communications specialist who joined the team last May after being “blown away by the taste.”​

“I got involved because I had stopped eating dairy a few years ago, and I’d go and try all these dairy free yogurts, but I was just really disappointed. ​

“I’m also a dietitian, so I would turn the cup around, and the ingredients lists were so long and there was always a lot of sugar added. Essentially, people are taking plant-based ingredients and then adding a bunch of sugar, gums and stabilizers to make the products edible.”​

‘I think oftentimes there can be a fatigue with really thick yogurts for consumers’​

Hunter Gather Natural Foods founder Jason Thomas was among the first to bring micronutrient-packed sprouted pili nuts - sourced from the Philippines - to a mainstream US audience via nut butters and snack packs with coconut oil and seasonings. The nuts are high in magnesium, manganese and vitamin B1.

She added: “Lavva spoons like a yogurt – although it’s not quite as thick as a strained yogurt - and it has a really delicious taste but a familiar texture. You are getting creaminess and satiety without it being too loose or too thick, as I think oftentimes there can be a fatigue with really thick yogurts for consumers.”​

The texture of Lavva is in part due to the inclusion of magnesium-packed pili nuts, which “have a buttery quality, and are high in MCTs ​[medium chain triglycerides], which are driving the whole bulletproof coffee craze, but have a fairly neutral taste, which makes them a great canvas to innovate on,” ​added Briggs.

“Instead of adding gums and stabilizers, ​[co-founder] Liz ​[Fisher] used young plantains​ [starchy ‘cooking’ bananas] that are subtlely sweet and also thicken the product, so we can make our products with no added sugar, even in our fruit flavors… To get a fruit prep with no added sugar and no gums and stabilizers has been a real labor of love. The cassava root adds an extra touch of creaminess.​

“The plantains also have resistant starch, which serves as a prebiotic, so this gives the probiotics in the product, which have 50bn probiotics at the end of shelf life, something to eat.”​

While the pili nuts are obviously a talking point (Lavva is one of the first companies to incorporate them into a packaged food), Briggs said the brand – backed by S2G Ventures and Collaborative Fund – is resonating with consumers on many levels.

“There are so many things to communicate about this brand, but we focus on plant-based, nourishing fats, no added sugar, probiotics and prebiotics… with a clean label. I really think prebiotics are starting to bubble up and I think they are that they are going to be the next wave as people get more familiar with probiotics.”​

Plant-based ‘yogurt?’​

As for the decision to use the dairy-derived term ‘yogurt’ on pack – a move for which fellow plant-based brand Kite Hill was recently castigated by the National Milk Producers Federation​​ – she said: “This company is built on transparency and being consumer-centric, and was born from an inherent frustration that existed in the category. ​

“​[The phrase] ‘dairy-free’ is squarely next to the product name, and ‘plant-based’ is before the word ‘yogurt,’ so we don’t think there are grounds for confusion.”​

As for the issue of nutritional equivalency to dairy – another issue that has generated much debate (and lawsuits)​​ in recent months – Lavva is not trying to mimic dairy yogurt, just to provide another option in the dessert category that is delicious and lower in sugar, claimed Briggs.

Protein: ‘We don’t need 40g of protein in everything we eat…’​

While the team at Lavva could have added “processed protein isolates and powders” ​to up the protein content (currently each cup has 2g protein, whereas dairy yogurts can contain anything from 5-15g), “that would stray from our value proposition of using only unprocessed ingredients, and avoiding anything that negatively impacts taste​,” she said.

“We know some consumers would like a bit more protein, but​ we don’t need 40g of protein in everything that we eat; our goal is to take simple whole foods and use them in creative ways.”​

*According to Nielsen data​​ compiled for the Plant Based Foods Association and The Good Food Institute, US retail sales of plant-based yogurts were up 56% in the year to August 12, 2017.

Each 5.3oz cup of Lavva (MSRP $2.49/cup) has 140-170 calories, 7g sugar, 2g protein and 11-13g fat, which is higher in fat, but lower in sugar and protein than most dairy yogurts. In the original, the naturally-occurring sugars are primarily from the plantains, plus a "minimal amount"​ from coconut, says CMO Nicki Briggs.